The prevalence of latent Equid herpesviruses in the tissues of 40 abattoir horses

Equid herpesviruses 1 or 4 (EHV-1 or -4) were isolated by cocultivation from 60% of 40 horses examined at slaughter. The lymph nodes draining the respiratory tract were the most common source of virus. EHV-1 or EHV-4 was never isolated from the trigeminal ganglia (SLG). The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detected virus in 87.5% of bronchial lymph nodes and a similar level in the trigeminal ganglia that were examined. By both assays approximately one third of the positive animals harboured both viruses. Equid herpesvirus 2 (EHV-2) was isolated from all but one of the horses and from > 75% of the lymph nodes draining the respiratory tract; alpha viruses were isolated only in the presence of EHV-2. The results indicate that latent EHV-1 and EHV-4 are widespread in the equine population and that the primary site of latency is the lymph nodes of the respiratory tract.